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Sean Payton came under fire as the Denver Broncos started the season with a 1-5 record, but the team has gained momentum in recent weeks. Denver has won two straight games, including a 24-22 upset win over the Buffalo Bills on Monday Night Football. According to Mike Florio of NBC Sports, Payton had one foot out the door before he masterminded Denver's turnaround.
On Pro Football Talk, Florio explained how Denver's township was possibly looking to move on from Payton, similar to Josh McDaniels in Las Vegas:
"These two wins back to back. I mean, there was a point after that Miami loss, I'm thinking, would Greg Penner, the owner of the Broncos, fire Sean Payton after one year and just buy out the balance of his contract? They're the richest ownership group in the NFL by far.
"And these folks who run Walmart are ruthless. And I don't mean that in a pejorative way. They don't screw around. This is the difference between the Bills and the Broncos."
The Las Vegas Raiders fired McDaniels following the team's Week 8 loss to the Detroit Lions. McDaniels went 9-16 in his tenure with Las Vegas.
With the Broncos on a winning streak, the team might hold off on letting Payton go. Ownership reportedly gave the Super Bowl-winning head coach a deal for five years and somewhere close to $18 million a year, according to Peter King of NBC Sports.
The 59-year-old is the winningest coach in New Orleans Saints history with 250 total wins (241 in the regular season and nine in the playoffs).
What would a Sean Payton buyout look like for the Broncos?
Based on the reports of his $18 million-a-year deal, Payton will be given $90 million over the course of five years. Firing during or after this season would be costly.
There's a chance he could be owed all or a significant portion of the $90 million if his contract is terminated this season.
Per financial insider Joe Pompliano, Raiders owner Mark Davis is paying McDaniels and former head coach Jon Gruden between $40-$80 million.
